Texas floods mapped: Here are the affected areas as death toll rises

At least 166 people are still missing in Central Texas, as the death toll climbs to 132

Ten days after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas, first responders are still sifting through debris to find the missing and recover the dead.

Emergency crews resumed some recovery efforts Sunday afternoon after heavy rain brought renewed flood threats to Kerr County, temporarily halting operations in a region still reeling from the July 4 flash floods.

At least 132 people, including 36 children, have been killed following torrential downpours that began on July 3, causing the Guadalupe River to burst its banks in the early hours of July 4, rising by 20 feet in roughly 95 minutes. At least a further 166 remain missing, with officials fearing the death toll could soar.

Twenty-seven young girls and staff members were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River.

Maps reveal the devastation seen in Kerr County, where authorities revealed 36 children were among the 106 victims in the flood-ravaged county.

Authorities said at least nine people were killed in Travis County, eight people in Kendall County, five in Burnett County, three in Williamson County, and one in Tom Green County.

In the confusion after such a disaster, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain who is missing, though either way, many more are feared dead.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania visited the town of Kerrville on Friday to survey the damage and meet with local officials and first responders.

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott participate in a roundtable with first responders and local officials after catastrophic floods, at Hill Country Youth Center, in Kerrville, Texas (REUTERS)

The president said it was one of the worst disasters he had seen, referring to the impacts of hurricanes and tornadoes in his first term.

In Kerr County, first responders were forced to navigate uprooted trees, swept-away buildings, and large piles of debris during their operations. There were also power outages thanks to 40 downed power lines, officials said.

Five girls from Camp Mystic remained missing on Sunday evening. The camp reported that the floods had killed 27 campers and staff members.

First responders and volunteers do search and rescue work on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas, (AP)

“That’s every parent’s nightmare,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz told reporters.

Responding to a question about an emergency warning system, Cruz said last week there had always been a risk of flooding along the river and that everyone would evacuate if they could go back in time.

“Evacuation is a delicate balance,” said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice at the same press conference.

“Because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses or cars or vehicles or campers on roads into low-water areas trying to get them out, which then can make it even more challenging. Because these flash floods happen very quickly.”

First responders had been swept off the road while trying to help, he added.

City leadership and local forecasters have been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding emergency response, including the timing of alerts and the dissemination of information from the National Weather Service on the morning of July 4.

Forecasters had warned about a “particularly dangerous situation,” with between five and 10 inches falling in south-central Kerr County over just three to six hours.

Other meteorologists and former National Weather Service employees have defended the actions of the San Antonio, Austin, and San Angelo offices.

Search and rescue efforts continued on Monday, amid rainy weather. But officials said responders were running into technical challenges (Getty)

However, officials have repeatedly said there was more rain than had been predicted.

“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted three to six inches of rain in the Concho Valley and four to eight inches in the Hill Country,” Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd told reporters last week.

“The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.”